Campus deemed to be among the greenest university campuses in North America

UH Mānoa is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The well-known education services company selected UH Mānoa for inclusion in the just-released second annual edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition.”

UH Mānoa joins the ranks of outstanding universities and colleges that are leading the “green” movement through special programs and initiatives. Says the guide about the flagship campus in the University of Hawai‘i system, “Students, faculty, and staff at this environmental research powerhouse are saying goodbye to energy waste, climate change, and greenhouse gases, and hello to a future as a leader in Asia-Pacific sustainability.”

Some of UH Mānoa’s green highlights include the creation of a Mānoa Sustainability Corps, whose members meet regularly to oversee green initiatives on campus, and the implementation of Mānoa Green Days to reduce energy use in buildings. Students also actively participate in the Help Us Bridge (HUB) group, which is working to establish the University as a world leader in sustainable research, practices and education. A major effort is a commitment to reduce energy use at Mānoa by 30 percent by 2012.

Said Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw, “This honor recognizes the successful campus-wide collaboration developed among UH Mānoa students, faculty and staff to reduce our energy usage. UH Mānoa takes its leadership role in sustainability research, education and practices very seriously because environmental health tremendously affects Hawai‘i and the rest of the world.”

Created by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges” is the only free, comprehensive guidebook profiling institutions of higher education that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. Schools were selected for inclusion based on a survey of hundreds of college administrators, who were polled in 2010 about sustainability initiatives.